


Maybe He Can Finally Save Her

by Ally_Rose



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Episode Tag, F/M, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-10-06 23:05:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17354312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ally_Rose/pseuds/Ally_Rose
Summary: Moments between Ray and Nora during episode 3.18.





	Maybe He Can Finally Save Her

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this during the summer before season 4 aired. I loved episode 3.18 and have watched it many times and kept noticing small details about the way Ray and Nora interacted and wanted to expand on those in a story.

Ray knew that there wasn’t much time. That the legends must have found trouble in Salvation by now. But for the moment he set that aside to focus on what was in front of him. On who was in front of him. Because Nora was hurting. And though he knew he couldn’t make it better, that he couldn’t take her pain away, he had to try.  


He couldn’t help but feel like this was partly his fault. He should have done more to save her back when she was 13. He was right there, and just watched as Damien ensured that Nora would remain possessed and live a life of hardships. Of course, Damien was using his magic against Ray and Zari to keep them from interfering, but they were time travelers. They could’ve found a time in history when Nora wasn’t protected and saved her. But they hadn’t thought about that. When they thought about Nora, they thought of her as Damien Darkh’s evil daughter or as Mallus’ vessel. It wasn’t until Ray shot her with the nanite gun and saw the pain and fear in her eyes that he finally saw her as Nora Darhk. A person he had failed. A person who knew pain and fear much too well.  


After working with Nora in Berlin, Ray realized there was more to her than the Legends had seen up to this point. And so, when Damien showed up on the Waverider, claiming to come in peace asking for help to save Nora, Ray was more than willing. But it wasn’t enough. Nora was still lost to Mallus. Hearing Sara say so harshly that Nora was gone, seeing the monster that had obliterated her, Ray knew he had to try again. And when Sara told him there was nothing he could do to help her, he grew more determined.  


This is what led to him recruiting Damien and sneaking away on the jumpship. He had a plan. Or something that kind of seemed like the start of a plan. Knock Nora out and keep her safely unconscious. He still hadn’t figured out the second half. He had no idea how to de-demonize her, or what to do with Mallus once he was out of that vessel. That would come later. The priority was stopping the transformation before Nora was lost for good.  


Then, after they landed in Zambesi, Damien pulled out the nanite gun that he had stolen. Ray hadn’t noticed it was missing until this point. After using it 1717 he left it in his lab and didn’t pick it back up. He didn’t want to look at the weapon he had used to nearly kill this girl that he was starting to truly care for. The trigger was pulled, and Nora was once again dying in Damien’s arms. Ray couldn’t believe it. After all of this, she was still going to die. Then Mallus left Nora and jumped into her father instead, and Ray saw what Damien was doing for his daughter. Sacrificing himself so she could live.  


At first Ray froze. He heard Damien quietly say good bye. Then he was yelling for Ray to take her and leave. He ran forward and took her into his arms, surprised when she didn’t put up a fight, too focused on her father and too weak to resist. When she passed out, Ray worked faster. He strapped her in and set a course back to the Waverider, where he had the antidote ready that should save Nora. He just had to get there in time.  


As soon as the jump ship landed, Ray picked her up again and ran her to the medbay. He gently placed her in the chair and injected the antidote. It only took a second for it to start working. As he put the syringe down, he heard her take a large gasp of air. She sat up and started to get out of the chair. Ray stepped forward and put his hands on her shoulders to keep her in place while telling her she was safe now.  


“My dad!” She yelled. “Where’s my dad?”  


“He traded places with you as Mallus’ vessel, to save you.”  


“How could you let him do that? Why didn’t you stop him?” She screamed before breaking down into tears.  


Ray didn’t hesitate. He immediately wrapped his arms around her and held her as she cried. In this moment he realized just how tiny and vulnerable she was. He also realized this was the first time he saw her without the influence of Mallus.  


A few minutes later, when sobs changed to sniffles, Nora asked, “Where is the rest of your team?”  


“Wild West. Salvation, North Dakota. Trying to hide in a temporal blind spot.”  


“It won’t work. Mallus knows all about those. He’ll find them. Quickly.”  


“They have the totems, they should be able to stop him.”  


“Mallus won’t work alone. He’ll have backup. And I’ve seen the legends try to work together. Doesn’t go well. They need help.”  


Ray knew she was right but didn’t want to leave her alone. Not when she was hurting this much.  


“Okay Nora,” he said. “You’re right, they’re probably in trouble. Gideon, set a course for Salvation.”  


Gideon’s voice could be heard saying, “Right away Dr. Palmer.” But Ray wasn’t paying attention. He was thinking about what was going to happen when they landed in Salvation. What he was going to do about Nora.  


It only took a couple of minutes to reach their destination. As the Waverider landed and engaged its cloaking devices Ray made his decision.  


“Alright, Nora, I’m gonna go help the team. You stay here. I’ll show you how the food fabricator works and you can get a good meal and rest up a bit.”  


“No.”  


“What?”  


“No. I’m not staying here alone. I’m coming with you.” Ray paused, trying to understand the meaning behind those words. They way she said them, so softly, he thought maybe she was scared to be alone. Hours before, he would never have thought that was possible. But after what had just happened, he didn’t fight her on this.  


“Ok. You can come, but you stay with me. Do you promise you won’t hurt the legends? That you won’t stop them from killing Mallus?”  


“I promise. Mallus has taken everything from me. Nearly my whole life, he was there, telling me what to do. And now he’s destroyed my father. I want Mallus dead as much as you do.” She said this with venom in her voice and sadness in her eyes.  


“Then let’s go help the team.”  


Ray started to lead the way out of the Waverider but suddenly stopped and turned around. He walked to the fabrication room with Nora following behind, asking him what he was doing but not getting an answer.  


He typed a few things into the screen and after a second a heavy grey coat materialized in front of them. “Here,” Ray said, holding out the coat to her. “It might be cold there.”  


“Thanks,” Nora said quietly. Ray wondered when the last time was that she said that word as she switched out of the leather jacket and into the wool coat. Finally, they stepped out into the Wild West.  


“Where do you think they’ll be?”  


“Most likely wherever there’s alcohol,” Ray said as he started to walk towards the saloon. “You ready?” he asked. Nora nodded, and he nodded back before putting a large grin on his face.  


“Howdy, partners!” He shouted as he entered the room, happy to be back in one of his favorite places in time. Nora followed, closing the door on her way in. She immediately raised her hands in surrender and stepped closer to Ray, not missing the multiple guns pointed at her. She let him explain what happened, hoping they would trust him and therefore, not kill her.  


After Ray told them that Damien was now Mallus’ vessel, Amaya filled them in on the ultimatum Mallus’ army had given them about handing over the totems.  


Then, the fight began. As promised, Nora stayed with Ray. They fought side by side against the possessed army. They had each other’s backs. Nora used her magic to blast two Romans away from Ray, and he took down a Viking warrior that was charging her. Suddenly, the army stopped and knelt down. After a moment of confusion, they found the reason. Mallus was flying towards them.  


The next thing they knew, a giant Beebo was attacking Mallus. In true Legends fashion, they found a way to fight the demon. As the others watched, Mallus was destroyed for good. As the blue feathers erupted around them, Ray instinctively reached out to Nora but thought again and pulled his hand back. The group raced over to the crater to make sure the rest of the team was ok.  


When Nora saw the crater was full of nothing but fluff, she couldn’t help but quietly call out “Dad”. She had moved so close to Ray that even though the word was barely a whisper, he could hear her. “I’m sorry Nora,” he said. “He died a good man.”  


While everyone else celebrated the victory, Ray told Nora to follow him, and they snuck back into one of the nearby vacated buildings.  


Nora was exhausted. This day had lasted ages and brought so much loss. She was starting to realize just how close she herself came to dying. She dropped into a nearby chair and Ray knelt down in front of her. He waited for her to look him in the eyes before saying, “I am so sorry that all of this happened. I’m sorry we didn’t do more to protect you in the asylum and prevent all of this.”  


“It’s not your fault.” She answered. “It was my fathers’. He was evil and out for his own good. But he loved me.”  


Ray waited for the tears to start again, but she had cried herself dry earlier. He stood and very tentatively placed a kiss to the top of Nora’s head. Even though she was nearly numb at this point, she couldn’t help the small feeling of hope and happiness this small gesture brought her.  


This feeling did not last long however, as two time bureau agents slammed the doors open and walked inside. They cuffed Nora and walked her out of the building. Ray froze watching them take her away. Then he remembered what he had taken with him from the Waverider.  


He ran outside and followed them, calling out and asking for a moment alone with her.  


“So I found something on the ship that was your dad’s. And I thought maybe you’d want something to remember him by.”  


“As I spend the rest of my life rotting in a time bureau prison,” Nora said, lifting her shackled hands to make her point.  


Ray gently grabbed her hand and placed a small object in it.  


“My father’s time stone,” she said, looking up at him.  


“He died to give you a second chance. Don’t waste it,” Ray replied with a small smile.  


As the agents led her away she looked back. He nodded at her, and she returned the action. They understood each other.  


Ray hoped that now, he could finally save her.


End file.
